1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a showcase in which objects, foodstuffs for sale and the like are placed for fresh storage. More particularly, it relates to a device for draining water created by defrosting a showcase, which has water catch panels opened to directly supply cool air to a shelf during operation of the showcase, and closed to prevent the water from dropping on articles for sale placed on the shelf during defrosting the showcase.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a showcase includes a main body 10; a refrigerating compartment 30 formed at the lower part inside of main body 10 via a first partition 20; a duct 50 formed at the rear part inside of main body 10 via a second partition 40; an upper chamber 70 formed at the upper part inside of main body 10 via a third partition 60; and a storage chamber 90 with a display device 80 in which articles are placed for looking at in a shop.
Refrigerating compartment 30 has a cooling unit 110 with an evaporator for producing cool air, and a first fan 120, a kind of compressor, for forcing the cool air, generated by cooling unit 110, into storage chamber 90 by way of duct 50. A second fan 130 is installed in upper chamber 70, and makes the cool air, migrating to the upper part of main body 10, flow into storage chamber 90 easily.
Display device 80 consists of a rectangular-shaped shelf 81 on which articles are placed for displaying; an article support member 82 provided on the forepart of shelf 81 to prevent the displayed articles from falling off shelf 81; a bracket 83 having an upper part joined to the bottom of shelf 81 for supporting, and a rear part connected to second partition 40.
Once power is applied to the showcase after putting articles on shelf 81, cooling unit 110 generates cool air, and this cool air flows to duct 50 by first fan 120. A part of the cool air that has been moved to duct 50 is output to storage chamber 90 through an opening (not shown), and the rest flows to upper chamber 70 and is supplied from the upper part of storage chamber 90 by second fan 130. The cool air, output to storage chamber 90, refrigerates the articles placed on shelf 81, simultaneously with circulating through display device 80, and then flows to the lower part of main body 10. The cool air enters refrigerating compartment 30, and is recooled, thus generating fresh cool air.
The conventional showcase does not have any device for draining water created by defrosting, and the water drops on the articles on shelf 81, thus ruining them.
This problem may be solved by removing articles that are once displayed on shelf 81 in the daytime, from the showcase in the night for defrosting. However, this also requires an extra refrigerating case that will have the custody of the articles put out of the showcase during defrosting, and running this showcase costs a lot of money.
In order to solve the above problem of the conventional art, the showcase of FIG. 3 was disclosed, and it has a water catch panel 200 mounted on storage chamber 90 under third partition 60 for collecting water created during defrosting. Water catch panel 200 is integrally formed to be of size the same as the length of each sidewall of main body 10. Since one end of water catch panel 200 is securely fixed to second partition 40, water generated by defrosting does not drop on the articles on shelf 81, and there is no need to have an extra refrigerating case. However, the cool air output from upper duct 70 is blocked by water catch panel 200 to raise the temperature around shelf 81 on which the articles are placed, so the articles cannot be kept fresh.